1978 The year it was

[robranisgod]

Hannan played in 3 flags, 77, 79, 80.

In 1977 he came into the side late to replace the injured Fragomeni and I reckon that it was 1980 when they brought him back from the Eyre Peninsula to replace Tony Giles who had got into strife by having a big day and night with a colleague, Ian Rainbird, from Woodville. THey ended up fighting and as a result Giles missed the finals. Hannan must have one of the best strike rates for premierships compared with games played. In fact Tony Hannan played in as many premierships as Russell Ebert!!!

[mal]

Speaking of ...
Player Profile
ANTHONY KYM GILES

BORN 5/9/55
OCCUPATION : ADVERTISING SUPERVISOR VAL MORGAN ADVERTISING [would that be the cinema mob ?]
FAV FOOD : LAMB CHOPS
FAV SINGERS : EAGLES [Eagles , he must have known something ...]
FAV ACTOR: STAVE MCQUEEN
FAV TV SHOW : WILLESEE AT SEVEN [was C WRIGHT on that show ...]
DISLIKES : LOSING AT FOOTY/INJURIES/FICKLE supPORTers
LIKES : MOTOR BIKE SCRAMBLES
BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON CAREER: MY FATHER
BEST FOOTBALLER SEEN: RUSSELL EBERT
MOST DIFFICULT OPPONENT: RALPH SEWER
BIGGEST THRILL IN FOOTY: 1977 G/F
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: LOSING 76 G/F
AMBITION IN FOOTY : TO PLAY LEAGUE FOOTY ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR AS LONG AS I CAN

TONY GILES
What a superb half back flanker
On the lead up to the semi final v GL
""We are picking up every week""
GILES is one of the PA players who was guilty of a lapse of form during the season
"" I was playing with a shoulder injury when I probably shouldve not been playing.""
"" As a result I lost form and payed the consequenses when I was dropped to the seconds.""
GILES whose father played for ST was recruited from Yorketown
He made his league debut in 1975, played 62 games, all bar one on the half back line


QUESTION
What was Tony's dad like as a ST footballer ?

[mal]

Hannan played in 3 flags, 77, 79, 80.

In 1977 he came into the side late to replace the injured Fragomeni and I reckon that it was 1980 when they brought him back from the Eyre Peninsula to replace Tony Giles who had got into strife by having a big day and night with a colleague, Ian Rainbird, from Woodville. THey ended up fighting and as a result Giles missed the finals. Hannan must have one of the best strike rates for premierships compared with games played. In fact Tony Hannan played in as many premierships as Russell Ebert!!!

Tony Hannans
Might have played a total of 38 games for PA
And he played in 3 PA Premiership teams !
And he once said about his in and out career "" Im not complaining.""

[JK]

Always had a lot of time for Tony Giles, he would be up there among my favourite Port players over the years.

[GWW]

TONY GILES
What a superb half back flanker
On the lead up to the semi final v GL
""We are picking up every week""
GILES is one of the PA players who was guilty of a lapse of form during the season
"" I was playing with a shoulder injury when I probably shouldve not been playing.""
"" As a result I lost form and payed the consequenses when I was dropped to the seconds.""
GILES whose father played for ST was recruited from Yorketown
He made his league debut in 1975, played 62 games, all bar one on the half back line

Did he only play 62 games? I knew he had a serious injury, but didn't realise he played less than 100 games.

Interesting that his father played for Sturt, i believe Tony's son currently plays Reserves for the Double Blues, after coming through the junior grades in recent years.

[baggy8]

Did Tony Giles only play 62 games? I knew he had a serious injury, but didn't realise he played less than 100 games.

Tony Giles played 190 games, but had played 62 when the article was written in 1978

Are you serious? An optician called C.Wright?

Yes and no. There was an optician of that name on Belair Rd, Kingswood, but it wasn't Port's Chris.

[GWW]

Thanks for that info baggy8.

[mal]

TONY GILES
What a superb half back flanker
On the lead up to the semi final v GL
""We are picking up every week""
GILES is one of the PA players who was guilty of a lapse of form during the season
"" I was playing with a shoulder injury when I probably shouldve not been playing.""
"" As a result I lost form and payed the consequenses when I was dropped to the seconds.""
GILES whose father played for ST was recruited from Yorketown
He made his league debut in 1975, played 62 games, all bar one on the half back line

Did he only play 62 games? I knew he had a serious injury, but didn't realise he played less than 100 games.

Interesting that his father played for Sturt, i believe Tony's son currently plays Reserves for the Double Blues, after coming through the junior grades in recent years.

I should have been more specific
Sometimes I'm quoting form a budget or another source, other times Im giving an opinion, or a career stat etc
Giles had in fact played 62 games leading into the 1978 Semi Final


When I think of Tony Giles I also think of a collision when he was badly hurt
I reckon it was a Minor round game vrs GL
At Glenelg oval ?
He was cleaned up by a GL player
Im recalling he was stretchered and in lala land
He might have had a facial bone injury as well
The player might have been David Holst?
Anyone recall this ?

[JK]

I remember him getting hurt sat the Bay, maybe 1983?

I thought he copped a bad injury to the Liver or Kidney?

[CK]

I used to have a massive collection of Football Times that I collected religiously from around 1981 to 1990, before a flood that came through the family property wrecked them in 1992. Two things that stood out in the player profiles of the time:

- How many players listed "Losing, fickle supporters" as their biggest dislikes.

- How many players used to smoke. Granted, it was a different era, but it was amazing at times to think how many used to, and still played great footy.

[FOURTH ESTATE]

I remember him getting hurt sat the Bay, maybe 1983?

I thought he copped a bad injury to the Liver or Kidney?

Very brutal game that one. Steve Kernahan was carried off on a strecther before 1/2 time but reappeared in the second half. Played a blinder in the second half. The Bays held Port to 1 goal in the first half from memory. Fights all over the ground. One of the Stingers early games for the Bays and they made their intentions known to several Port players that they would not be pushovers. Remember standing on centre wing on the outerside with my mates. Highlights of the game are on "The way it was 83"

Round 19 13/8/83

Glenelg 23.20 (158)
Port 8.15 (63)

[mal]

IVAN BRUCE ECKERMANN

BIRTH 1/4/55
OCCUPATION : SALES REP
FAV FOOD : BBQ CHICKEN
FAV SINGER : LEO SAYER
FAV TV SHOW: SPORTING COVERAGES
LIKES : CRICKET, GOLF, BIT OF SHOOTING
DISLIKES : LOSING
BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON CAREER: MY FATHER AND 2 GUYS FROM BLYTH BEVAN TAYLOR + JIM CAMERON
BEST FOOTBALLER SEEN : RUSSELL EBERT
BIGGEST THRILL IN FOOTBALL: 1977 FLAG
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT : BREAKING MY ANKLE THIS YEAR AND MISSING SO MANY MATCHES
AWARDS : RESERVES B/F 1975
AMBITION IN FOOTY: TO KEEP PLAYING LEAGUE FOOTBALL AND HAVE AN INJURY FREE CAREER

In the 1977 grand final[PA 17-11 GL 16-9]
In a frenzied final Eckermann left the ground with a thigh injury, but returned to make up the numbers in a forward pocket when PA pair Kym Kinnear + Daryl Cahill were immobilised
Eckermann wearing a huge pressure bandage on his thigh finished the game kicking 3 gutsy goals + was a big factor on PA winning by 8 points
Eckermann made his debut in 1974 but b4 this 1978 final coming up had only played 22 games
He played 1 game in 1975 and then pissed off to Penola in 1976
PA got him back to the club in 1977, and after 15 reserves games he made the league team
This season he started in the team but broke an ankle that kept him out for 15 games

IVAN ECKERMAN
Fair haired defender who played into the 80s, may have played about 150ish games in total ?
He was a lookalike to a soap actor in those times
Nick Hedstrom played a part of the stroppy Peter Beckett in the Oz soapie The Restless Years
I wonder how much Ivan got sick to death of the comparism
Ivan was a very good defender, his heroics in the 77 grand final were almost Tyrellesque !

[robranisgod]

In the 1977 grand final[PA 17-11 GL 16-9]
In a frenzied final Eckermann left the ground with a thigh injury, but returned to make up the numbers in a forward pocket when PA pair Kym Kinnear + Daryl Cahill were immobilised
Eckermann wearing a huge pressure bandage on his thigh finished the game kicking 3 gutsy goals + was a big factor on PA winning by 8 points

The incredible thing in that grand final was that the interchange rule only commenced in the SANFL part way through the season. If there wasn't an interchange rule, Port may well have been down to 17 men on the field before half time and would have found it incredibly hard to win from there. As an aside Victoria never brought the interchange rule in until the next season.

[mal]

1977 was that also the first year that the 2 umpires got a gig in the SANFL ?

[robranisgod]

1977 was that also the first year that the 2 umpires got a gig in the SANFL ?

Yes, that's right Mal, and incredibly that came in mid season as well. Two very significant changes came in mid season.

[mal]

1977 was that also the first year that the 2 umpires got a gig in the SANFL ?

Yes, that's right Mal, and incredibly that came in mid season as well. Two very significant changes came in mid season.

They changed into 2 very significant rules during the 1977 season and PA won the premiership
That undoing all the good work of ST + NA since 1965 ...

When I think about it, thats a bit unfair to change any rules midstream
Teams recruit and produce SANFL players for specific playing purposes or whatever
Changing rules in a season can have profound effects, as shown by the 77 g/final
The rules should have been introduced prior to 1978 for fairness

[Adelaide Hawk]

They changed into 2 very significant rules during the 1977 season and PA won the premiership
That undoing all the good work of ST + NA since 1965 ...

When I think about it, thats a bit unfair to change any rules midstream
Teams recruit and produce SANFL players for specific playing purposes or whatever
Changing rules in a season can have profound effects, as shown by the 77 g/final
The rules should have been introduced prior to 1978 for fairness

Could you expound this comment Mal? I'm not sure what you are talking about.

[bayman]

the 'bump' at the bay on tony giles was by david holst, a mate playing in that game heard holst say ''get up gilesy your not hurt''..........from this game the front page of the sports section in the sunday mail (14/8/1983) had the main picture of a bloodied tony mcguiness & peter carey with the headline ''bay bloodbath'' with pictures also of anthony williams getting carried off on a stretcher, also as mentioned kernahan was the third player stretchered for the day...also on that page is a picture of south coach graham cornes & norths grenville dietrich having a celebratory drink (the actual story is written by ashley PORTer & trevor gill)

[mal]

They changed into 2 very significant rules during the 1977 season and PA won the premiership
That undoing all the good work of ST + NA since 1965 ...

When I think about it, thats a bit unfair to change any rules midstream
Teams recruit and produce SANFL players for specific playing purposes or whatever
Changing rules in a season can have profound effects, as shown by the 77 g/final
The rules should have been introduced prior to 1978 for fairness

Could you expound this comment Mal? I'm not sure what you are talking about.

If the facts are correct :
Interchange was introduced into the SANFL during the 1977 season
2 Umpires were introduced during the 77 season as well
Both about the mid season

These Changes in theory may mean :
Changing to 2 umps = faster tempo of game as 2 umps cover the ground quicker = speeds the game up
Having an Interchange increases rotations, allows injured players recovery time
Interchange meant for the first time that sides didnt have to play with 17 men or less at times when players were in recovery mode
Interchange as we know these days has been flaunted, but even back then it could have advantaged sides

The SANFL teams
Went into 1977 season with thier squads
They may not have had any prior knowledge of the 2 new changes
There4 some sides may have been advantaged, some sides may not have

Sides with faster fitter sMALler players may have been better suited
Slower ruckman trying to get to ball ups and throw ins were perhaps at a disadvantage
The quicker tempo meant fitter sides may have been advantaged
I could go on and on with advantages/disadvantages
All of course is indeed hindsightish and theoretical or factual or whatever

There4 I conclude that sides may have been PRIMEd a certain way pre-season with training and recruiting etc
Then the rules change midstream
I think thats unfair

Bit like playing half an ashes series and then making the teams bowl 110 overs instead of 95 overs per day
that may assist the team with a good spinner or a team with a good 5th bowling allrounder
It would have perhaps rooted the West Indies in the 80s who played mainly with 4 quicks

By 1978 with the changes already implemented, then teams had enough time to structure thier teams

[baggy8]

IVAN ECKERMAN
Fair haired defender who played into the 80s, may have played about 150ish games in total ?

Spot on, Mal. Played 150 games, and according to the victim himself, the only player ever to knock Leigh Matthews out cold. (SA v Vic, FP, 1982)